Blue and Gold Illustrated

BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 1, 2025 15 then we try and literally break it down of the pros and cons or what can happen and what can't." That's where Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman comes in. "My job, a lot of times, is to ask the hard questions like, 'What if this hap- pens? What if that happens?'" Freeman said. "That's how you figure out what the right plan is; you have to have some- body that is challenging you. That's a part of what I do in all of our plans, in all of our phases, but in special teams, too. "At the end of the day, you come up with every great plan known to man, and you've got to execute it, and you got to create the conviction in your players and myself and your coaches in practice, and then you got to go execute in the game." Conviction in the players is perhaps the most paramount part of what makes Notre Dame's special teams units so dangerous. Sure, Biagi is a mastermind and the genius behind it all. A "creative individual," Freeman called him. But he's nothing without the players who devote precious practice time to dialing up the mastery we see in games. Buchner, for instance, is a former Notre Dame starting quarterback. A former Alabama starting quarterback. He might get one play every four to six games to get the ball in his hands and do something special with it, something way beyond catching a snap and putting the ball on the ground for the place- kicker. He's committed himself to those scarce moments, though, and they're all the more meaningful when he gets them. Freeman has harped on "buy-in" all year with this particular team. The buy- in to Biagi Ball — to chaos — is real. "It's a true 'team glory' mindset," Bi- agi said. "And I know those words get thrown around a lot. But I truly believe that you see that echo in and carry over week to week." Biagi was recently having a conversa- tion at practice with defensive start- ers Christian Gray and Drayk Bowen. Some younger Irish players were lurking around within earshot. When Gray was boasting about be- ing on the front line for Jadarian Price's 2023 kickoff return touchdown against Southern Cal, a score that resonates as one of the more resounding plays from a marquee victory, redshirt freshman safety Tae Johnson's eyes widened and his ears perked up. "You were?" he asked, seriously in- terested in the idea that Notre Dame's starting field corner was so boastful about a special teams rep. That's the culture that Biagi has fos- tered. Bowen is Notre Dame's No. 1 middle linebacker and one of six team captains. Through the first six games of the sea- son, he was still in the top 10 of all Irish players in terms of special teams ap- pearances. You want to be a high-level football player? Play special teams. "Coach Biagi and Coach Freeman have talked about Max Hurleman mak- ing the Steelers, and he was on special teams," Bowen said. "It's something where, if you're not Justin Jefferson or Fred Warner or somebody that's an All- Pro, you're probably playing some type of special teams. "Just being able to do it and to have experience and to be able to know what you're supposed to do is something that we talk about and it's important to ev- eryone on our team." ✦ "It's a true 'team glory' mindset, and I know those words get thrown around a lot. But I truly believe that you see that echo in and carry over week to week." NOTRE DAME SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR MARTY BIAGI Biagi was tabbed as FootballScoop.com's Special Teams Coordinator of the Year in 2024. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER

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